A Blyth man who abused former Newcastle striker Ivan Toney on social media has been banned from every stadium in the UK in a landmark ruling.
Antonio Neill, 24, sent a racist message on social media to the Brentford footballer on October 14 last year. After Toney shared a picture of the abuse received via his own social media account, Northumbria Police launched a full investigation which was supported by the Metropolitan Police.
The message, which officers treated as a hate crime, was traced to a suspect who was then living in the North Shields area.
